Bellerophon
Bellerophon Bellerophon was the greatest hero and slayer of monsters, alongside Cadmus and Perseus, before the days of Heracles whose greatest feat was killing the Chimera, a monster that Homer depicted with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail. Bellerophon was the hero that captured and tamed Pegasus. Bellerophon’s family and origin. Bellerophon was the son of Eurynome, wife of Glaucus, by Poseidon. He was raised by Glaucus a very skilled horse rider and the King of Corinth, who thought Bellerophon was his own son. After his adventures, Bellerophon married Philonoe and had two children, Isander and Hippolochus. Bellerophon’s myth is one of many Greek myths concerning hubris and the story of a great hero. Bellerophon’s Myth Considering both his fathers involvement with horses it is not surprising that he quested after Pegasus. After many failures he asked the seer Polyeidus for help. Following Polyeidus instructions he spent the night at an alter to Athena. There he had a dream of the goddess giving him a magical golden bridle. He awoke and found the saddle from the dream in his hands. This done, he went to where Pegasus grazed and was able to bridle and ride the horse without difficulty. Triumphant in his success he went to King Pittheus and received permission to marry his daughter Aethra. However, before the marriage could take place he accidently killed a man and he was banished. He went to King Proetus to be redeemed for his crime and it was done however while staying in Proetus’ house, the King's wife, Stheneboea, tried to seduce him. As an honorable man Bellerophon rejected her advances. This infuriated Stheneboea who accused him of attempting to seduce her. Upset, Proetus tried to get rid of Bellerophon without openly accusing him, he sent Bellerophon to deliver a sealed message to his wife's father, King Iobates. Arriving on Pegasus, Bellerophon was warmly received and settled in as Iobates house guest. When Iobates read the message learning of Stheneboea's accusations against Bellerophon this left Iobates in the same predicament of acting against a guest that had troubled Proetus. Iobates solution was to ask Bellerophon to undertake heroic but, normally deadly tasks. However, Bellerophon's courage and skill as an archer combined with Pegasus as a mount allowed him to prevail. In addition his parentage, his sacrifices, and his acts of honor brought him the favor of the gods. His first task was to kill the Chimera. Succeeding here he was sent to conquer the neighboring Solymi tribe, who were Iobates traditional enemies. When he defeated them, the King sent him to fight the Amazons. He was again victorious. At this point Iobates realized that the gods favored Bellerophon and that this favor would not have been given to a dishonorable house guest. Iobates made amends by giving Bellerophon half his kingdom, including the best farm land and his daughter Philonoe in marriage. It aseemed that Bellerophon would live happily ever after. His glorious deeds were widely sung and he was happily married. Philonoe bore him two sons, Isander and Hippolochus, and two daughters, Laodameia and Deidameia. As a king his subjects loved and honored him but all this was not enough for Bellerophon. In his arrogance he decided that he could ride Pegasus to Mount Olympus and visit the gods. Zeus quickly put an end to his trip by making Pegaus and throw Bellerophon. He survived his fall but, was crippled by falling into a thorn bush. He spent the rest of his life wandering around with no one to help him becuase of his offence to the gods dying alone. Powers Bellerophon was the son of Poseidon and Glaucus a skilled horseman and so was very good with horses and so was able to tame Pegasus with the help of Athena. Bellerophon was also loyal to the gods and had their favor in his adventures. Interesting Facts Many people believe that it was Perseus that tamed Pegasus but it was in fact Bellerohpon. When Bellerophon fell off Pegasus, he fell on top of a thorn bush which crippled him and blinded him for the rest of his life. And Bellerohpon defeated the Chimera, a giant beat with a lions head, a goats body and a serpents tail by sticking a lead block into its throat so that when it breathed fire, the lead melting and suffocated it. Citations: "Bellerophon." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 04 Jan. 2013. Web. 03 Apr. 2013. "Bellerophon." Bellerophon. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2013. "Moments in Greek Mythology." : 036 Bellerophon Slays the Chimera. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2013.